Exposure to incivility or disruptive behaviors can hinder clinical performance and increase the risk for errors.

Conducted at an outpatient oncology infusion clinic at one large cancer center, this pilot study sought to increase formal reporting of incivility events (e.g., bullying, racist language, hostility) committed by patients and visitors towards nursing staff. The Combating Incivility and Violence in Clinical Settings (CIVIC) Duty program included a one-hour education session for nursing staff (to increase identification of incivility behaviors and understanding of relevant organizational policies and procedures) along with nurse leader support to increase the use of the existing electronic incident reporting system for incivility incidents.

In the second quarter of 2022, incivility incidents represented 1 in every 88 reports. After implementation, incident reporting increased by 41% in the first quarter of 2023 (to 1 in every 36 reports).